Internal-combustion turbine



Oct- 22, 1946. F. J. SMITH ET Al.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION TURBINE Filed May 29, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fwd@fsm/wf,

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F.. J. SMITH ET AL INTERNAL-COMBUSTION TURBINE Filed May 29, 1945 2sheets-sheet 2 Patented Oct. 22, 1946 UNITED INTERNAL-COlVIBUSTIONTURBINE Fred J. Smith and Joseph Isaac, Sault Sainte Marie, Mich..

Application May 29, 194.5, Serial No. 596,454

This invention relates to turbines, and more particularly, to internalcombustion gasoline turbines.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedgasoline turbine wherein the fuel mixture is compressed prior toadmission into the ring `chamber and fed under pressure into the firingchamber where it strikes the rotary blades causing steady rotation andnre overlap.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved gasolineturbine utilizing pre-com pression of the fuel mixture, and whereinimproved regulating means for controlling the pressure of the compressedfuel mixture is employed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings,wherein: p

Figure l is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken on line I-I ofFigure 2 of an embodiment of a gasoline turbine in accordance with thisinvention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Figure1.

Figure 3 is a detail cross-sectional view of an exhaust pipe fittingtaken on line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail view of the valve structure employed in the aircompression cylinder of the gasoline turbine of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, 6 designates a m0- ltor shaft which isadapted to be driven by a turbine wheel 2 contained within a housing 4,said shaft '6 being rotatively supported with respect i to housing 4 bya pair of bearings 3, 3, the outside bearing being provided with aprotecting cover plate 5.

Formed in housing 4 are a plurality of ring chambers I, each chamberbeing provided with an intake slide valve 1 and a spark plug 25 forexploding the fuel mixture furnished to chamber i. Appropriatelyperipherally spaced with respect to each firing chamber is an exhaustport 48 and an exhaust pipe for exhausting the exploded mixture afterdelivery of its power stroke to the blades of the turbine wheel 2, theexhaust pipes being connected to a conventional exhaust manifold.

The timing of valve 1 is controlled by an 4ap- 25 is controlled in aconventional manner bythe 4 Claims. (Cl. 60-41) setting of a distributorpoint 23 of a distributor 22 driven from shaft 6, distributor point 23being connected to spark plug 25 by a cable 24.

The cooling system comprises a fan I0 mounted on the shaft of agenerator I I, fan I0 being connected by an air duct 9 to a peripheralair chamber 8 provided in the turbine housing 4. Generator II carries onits shaft a gear I2 which meshes with an oil pump gear I3 which in turnmeshes with a gear I4 carried on shaft 6. The gear train thus drivesgenerator I I and fan I0.

Provided adjacent housing 4 is a housing 50 through which shaft 6passes. Journaled in housing 50 is a crankshaft I1 carrying a gear VI5adapted to be connected thereto for rotation of `the crankshaft by aclutch I6. Gear I5 meshes in said plate 53, said intake valve beingcon-` nected to the atmosphere by a conduit 54.A An air outlet valve 4Iis provided in plate 53, said outlet valve being connected by a conduit3| to an intake valve 55 provided in a compression Y tank 31. Thereciprocation of piston I9 in Vcylinder 52 will thus be effective topump air into i tank 31.

` to tank 31.

Crankshaft I1 is provided with a first cam 38 which reciprocates a slidevalve 49, and a second cam 39 which reciprocates a poppet valve 21. Afuel tank 4-5 furnishes fuel through a conduit 46 to a carburetor 30from which the fuel `is delivered through slide valve 49 to a chamber 56above piston I9. The fuel is pumped by piston I9 into a compression head28 from which it is delivered The cams 38 and 39 are arranged withrespect to the crank or crankshaft I'I so that valve 21 opens and valve40 closes While piston I9 is delivering its power stroke, while saidvalve 40 is opened and valve 21 is closed during the return stroke ofpiston I9. Sufficient suction is developed on the return stroke ofpiston I9 to draw a substantial charge of fuel into chamber 56.

The fuel is pumped from compression head 28 to compression tank 31either through a priming conduit 51 and a first spring-biased primingvalve 35, or through a main fuel conduit 29 and a second spring-biasedmain valve 5B to an intake valve 59. Valve 35 is arranged to admit fuel1111.50 tank 31 until a normal working pressure is v developed therein,for example, 35 pounds per cured to sleeve 33 and a washer element 62supported in the lower portion of said cylinder provides the normalbiasing thrust which closes on" the top end of sleeve 33 until asubstantial pressure is developed in conduit 29. Valve 58, thus acts asa relief valve to close off the main fuel conduit 23 until adequate fuelcompression is obtained in compression head 28.

An outlet port 63 is provided in tank 31, provided with a throttle 64through which the fuel mixture passes into a conduit 26 and from thencethrough valve 1 into ring chamber Throttle 6G is normally controlled bya lever @il provided with a locking dog 41 cooperating with aconventional rack segment tc hold the throttle in a desired position ofadjustment.

Y A spring-biased piston member 36 is provided in a cylindrical recessformed in tank 31, said piston being connected to a lever B which inturn is connected to a control linkage for clutch IB. When the pressurein tank 31 rises above a desired limiting value, piston-36 is urgedrearwardly against its spring, causing lever 34 to rotate and todisengage clutch I6 until the pressure in tank 31 has decreased to asafe value.

When the turbine is started, it is rotated by an appropriate startingmotor and fuel is pumped under low pressure from carburator 30 intocompression chamber 28 and thence through priming conduit 51 and pastpriming valve 35 into tank 31. Since the amount of Vair pumped intocompression chamber 31 by piston I9 at this time is small, a `relativelyrich mixture is fed past throttle E4 into the firing chamber. Thiscondition continuesuntil the turbine cornes up to normal operation and asubstantial pressure is developed in compression tank 31. Valve 58 thenopens and valve 35 is closed, the turbine then being Yoperated at vtheoptimum mixture ratio of air and fuel, the operating. pressure of tank31 being held to a safe value by the pressure-responsiveclutch-disengaging piston member 36.

The moving parts within housing D are lubritation of the turbine wheelmay be varied over a substantial range.

While a specic embodiment of an internal combustion turbine structurehas been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understoodthat numerous modifications within the spirit of the invention may occurto those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that nolimitations be placed on the invention other than as defined by thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A turbine comprising a housing, a turbine wheel rotatably mountedwithin said housing, a fluid nozzle positioned adjacent the periphery ofsaid wheel, a firing chamber in said housing communicating with saidnozzle, a compressionY tank, means actuated by said wheel for forcingair and combustible liquid fuel into said compression tank, and conduitmeans for admitting the mixture of air and fuel into said firingchamber, said means for forcing air and fuel into said compression tankhaving a clutch means in association therewith adapted to disengage saidwheel from said forcing means responsive to anrincrease in pressure insaid compression tank above a predetermined value.

2. A turbine comprising a housing, a turbine wheel rotatively mountedwithin said housing, a iluid nozzle positioned adjacent the periphery ofsaid wheel, a firing chamber in said housing communicating with saidnozzle, a compression tank, means actuated by said wheel for forcing airand combustible liquid fuel into said compression tank, conduit meansfor admitting the mixture of airand fuel into said firing chamber, theforcing means comprising a pump geared to said Wheel having an airpumping section adapted to force atmospheric air into said compressiontank and a fuel pumping section, said fuel pumping section communicatingwith said compression tank by a first fuel feed conduithavingwpositioned therein a valve adapted to open only against lowpressure iny said compressioirtank and by a second fuel feed conduithaving positioned therein a valve adapted to open only byY a normaldifference in pressure between the pressure of the fuel pumping sectionand the-pressure in the compression tank.

3. The structure of claim 2, and wherein pressure-responsive means isprovided in said compression tank adaptedV to disengage said pump 'fromsaid wheel responsive to an increase in pressure in said compressiontank above a predetermined value.

4. The structure of claim 2, and wherein a manually adjustable throttleis provided in said conduit means.

FRED J. SMITH. JOSEPH ISAAC.

